Title: Analysis of dog interventions at the Association of Rescue Brigades of Cynologists of the Czech Republic Objectives: The main aim of the diploma thesis is the analysis of dog interventions at the Association of Rescue Brigades of Cynologists of the Czech Republic and analysis of tests of the Association of Rescue Brigades of Cynologists organized according to the National Examination Regulations of the Association of Rescue Brigades of Cynologists from 1 May 2016 to 31 December 2020. Another aim of the thesis is to summarize the history, current activities and involvement of the Union of Rescue Brigades of Cynologists of the Czech Republic within the IRS. Methods: Theoretical background was developed on the basis of searche of books and legislation. Using the method of content analysis key terms are defined, which includes IRS, IRS components, SZBK CR. The practical part of this diploma thesis was pepared based on descriptive statistics method. Results: The main result of this diploma thesis is description and evaluation of numerical data of all interventions of the Union of Rescue Brigades of Cynologists of the Czech Republic from 1 May 2016 to 31 December 2020 and all exams of the Union of Rescue Brigades of Cynologists of the Czech Republic organized according to the National Examination...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on English vocabulary learning by late Chinese-English bilingual using the picture-association method while performing physical activity. Participants were 40 undergraduate students (18-24 years old) enrolled at Dali University in the 2013 academic year. Both the English proficiency level and the fitness level were determined in order to obtain two comparable groups of participants, the experimental group being requested to perform a physical activity during learning while the control group was in a stationary condition during learning. There were 8 sessions of L2 lexical learning and testing in total, once per week. In addition, there was a delayed test on both experimental tasks one month after the 8th session, without intervening learning trials. Response times (RTs) and accuracy rates were recorded for each task. A two-way repeated measure ANOVA and a t-test were performed for data analysis. The results showed that the Chinese-English bilingual learner using picture for L2 learning with physical activity performed better not only in the experienced not only in the Word-Picture Verification Task, that tapped the lexical level, but also in the Grammaticality Judgment Task, that tapped the untrained sentence level. This indicates that the physical activity promoted generalization even to the untrained task. The better performance regarded both the Rts and the accuracy, and emerged from the first session in the Word-Picture Verification Task but only from the fourth session in the Grammaticality Judgment Task. This indicates that the effects of the physical activity are modulated by the mode of training and/or complexity of the task. Finally, the better performance of the experimental group emerged also in the delayed condition. This indicates that the effects of the physical activity on vocabulary learning are long-lasting. The patter of results obtained are accounted for by a model that predicts a better L2 vocabulary memory consolidation under physical activity as a consequence of increase cerebral blood flow and/or a more pronounced action of neurotransmitter involved in verbal learning.

The current dissertation tackles two core aspects of moral development: the obedience to authority and the consideration of the agents’ intention in generating a moral judgment. With respect to obedience to authority, I reported that 21-month-olds are already able to distinguish between coercion by a bully (someone who prevails using physical force) and rule by a leader (someone who is spontaneously respected by subordinates), and expect subordinates to comply with the leader’s instructions, but not with the bully’s instructions. With respect to the development of intent-based judgment, I reported that between age 4 and 6 the verbal judgment of moral goodness undergoes a shift from relying on action outcomes to relying on agent’s intentions. I argue that this shift likely reflects ancillary changes occurring outside the moral domain, such as in theory of mind or executive functioning. I also reported that, later in life, a further shift occurs in moral judgment. Older adults’ judgments, compared to younger adults’ judgments, rely less on intention and more on outcomes. This intent-to-outcome shift in old age can be explained by an age-related decline in theory of mind abilities.

Noise is ubiquitous in nature. For this reason, it makes up a widely investigated topic. Taking into account experimental physics, whatever the measurement process under investigation, noise, defined as a random fluctuation of the measured signal, is usually considered to be detrimental. Thus, many techniques have been developed to reduce its impact: for example, the most common post–processing procedure to improve a noisy measurement consists in averaging the measured signal over repeated sessions. Rather surprisingly, the opposite, non–detrimental effect has been also observed: the response of a nonlinear system to a weak input signal is, under suitable conditions, optimized by the presence of a particular, non–vanishing noise level. In the last decades, the wide spectrum of such phenomena has been referred to as stochastic resonance. With regard to neuroscience, noise can be considered ubiquitous also in the brain processes. Theoretical considerations, as well as a robust experimental evidence, demonstrate its role in many phenomena occuring at different levels in neural system: for example, firing rate of neurons is not predictable by reason of their intrinsic variability [1, 5, 6]; measurements of brain activity with imaging techniques, like EEG, MEG or fMRI, are always affected by inner, noisy mechanisms. Recently, neuroscientists put forward the idea that stochastic fluctuations of neural activity have a functional role in brain dynamics. However, this functional role has been thus far observed in very few experimental situations. Regarding the human behaviour, decision making (representing our main field of investigation) is also influenced by several noisy processes. Also in this case, random fluctuations of brain processes typically have a detrimental role, limiting, for example, the possibility to exactly predict the human behaviour not only in everyday life, but also under controlled conditions, such as psychophysical experiments. Aim of this work is to gain insight into the problem of how noise influences the decisional mechanisms. In this framework, two different kinds of noise were investigated, namely endogenous and exogenous. The endogenous noise refers to stochastic fluctuations that are present within the neural system whereas with exogenous some form of enviromental noise, external to the perceptual system, are meant. These two distinct types of noise define two indipendent research fields, that were both investigated by means of behavioural experiments. In other words, we were interested in investigating how noise acts on human behavior, in particular in case of discrimination processes. To this purpose, psychophysical experiments were carried out, addressing both the acoustic and the visual modality. To investigate how a proper amount of exogenous noise can act positively on human perception, improving performance in detection experiments, – an effect that, as mentioned above, is interpreted as an occurence of stochastic resonance – we carried out experiments in the acoustic modality. This is the topic of the first part of this work. In particular, we used a detection paradigm where pure tone stimuli were superimposed with different levels of noise and subjects were requested to signalize the presence of the tone. Usually a sufficient noise level masks the signal. However,what we observed was a tiny, yet statistically significant improvement of stimulus detection ability in correspondence to a specific noise level. The used experimental approach – “Yes/No†experiments – is usually interpreted in terms of Signal Detection Theory (SDT). The two most important SDT parameters are the sensitivity d′ and the decisional criterion. Since improvement of detection ability driven by noise is, if any, a tiny effect, all the ingredients combined to formulate a decision must lay under the experimenter’s control. In particular, in addition to the stimulus detectability, also the knowledge of the decisional strategy at any time is crucial so as to achieve reliable data. In other words, the demand of criterion stability, and more in general the problem of its dynamics, turned out to have a critical role and urged us to focus our attention to the specific topic of criterion dynamics. The scientific literature on the possibility to condition the subject’s criterion and reconstruct its dynamics with the highest possible time resolution (the single trial) is extremely scant: the only two works on this subject do not provide robust methods to tackle the issue. The second part of the dissertation is completely focused on our theory of criterion setting dynamics and the related experimental evidence. An ad-hoc experiment involving the visual perceptual modality allowed to test a model for trial–by–trial criterion dynamics based on the theory of feedback. Feedback loop were implemented by informing the subject, after each trial, relatively to his/her performance. When requested to maximize the rate of correct response in an orientation discrimination experiment, subjects showed the ability to continuosly change their internal criterion. More in detail, the optimal criterion position oscillates at a certain frequency, set a-priori by the experimenter; we observed that subjects were able to modify their decisional criterion in order “to follow†the optimal position. Two main assumptions of our model are that the subject stores information coming from previous trials, and is willing of in improving his/her performance. One of the most important assumption of SDT is that the adopted strategy, i.e. the criterion positioning, by an observer performing a task is completely indipendent from his/her discrimination ability. We implemented this consideration in a model for criterion dynamics so that this parameter turns out to be completely indipendent from d′. The possibility to disentangle sensitivity and criterion allows the experimenter to force the subject’s inclination to be more liberal or conservative, indipendently from his/her ability in performing the task, and monitor at each trial the result of this conditioning. The problem of how the human neural system set and maintain a decision criterion over time is still an open question. This problem recently received particular attention, within the more general context of the neural mechanisms underlying the decision process. Our approach, based on behavioural experiments, provides an novel investigation tool to tackle the issue.

The purpose of this study, is to compare the extent and types of physical proximity and contact between mothers and infants across different countries during the early child stage of life, and to discuss how those activities are modulated by contrasting cultural styles. We have compared the way in which mothers are physical engaged with their children in different societies, to investigate similarities and differences in the physical and proximal maternal behaviors, selecting 5 different countries belonging to the Western (Italy and USA), Eastern (Korea and Japan) and Developing countries (Kenya). Moreover, the research analyzed how those early maternal activities are related to the child’s subsequent development, examining how experiences during early life could affect his future growth. The results are discussed in light of the culture-universal as well as culture-specific aspects of parenting. Three studies have been developed: the first examines and compares the ways in which mothers physically engage their very young infants in Italy and the USA, and asks whether they differ in the proximal and physical response to infant vocalizations; the second proposes a wider analysis of the maternal physical engagement across different countries, and investigates similarities and differences in the physical and proximal maternal behaviors in countries belonging to the Western (Italy and USA), Eastern (Korea and Japan) and Developing countries (Kenya); the third evaluates the influence of maternal physical engagement on the development of infant play, adaptive behavior, and child emotion availability, in the Italian sample. Finally, in the Appendix, is reported a study on a particular form of attachment behavior presented in mammalian (the Transport Response (TR)), in mice genetically modified who show deficits in attachment behavior. The study corroborates the importance of investigating the genetic basis of attachment behavior in order to better understand the affiliative relationship in higher mammals.

The present dissertation collects several works that aim to examine multiple aspects of ANS and OTS during infancy. In particular, the predictive role of ANS on mathematical abilities, the importance of dynamic information in OTS and the role of OTS and ANS in developmental dyscalculia.

This dissertation proposes the discussion of four empirical studies which show the validity of a new perspective within the social identity approach – the expanded model of organizational identification – and its applications in organizations. The social identity literature provides an important framework for understanding the reciprocal relationships between organizations and their employees, but traditional identity approach has largely neglected a new notion of organizational identification that includes other forms of attachment to the organization. Thus, the purpose of the present contribution is twofold: first, examining the validity of this new expanded perspective, which integrates organizational identification with other notions of identification, namely ambivalent identification, neutral identification and disidentification; and second, investigating its applications in organizational contexts, specifically by investigating how this approach is related to individuals’ outcomes. The first empirical study aims to provide further evidence for this model and to show discriminability and reliability of an Italian-language translation of Kreiner and Ashforth’s scales of a short version of the expanded model of organizational identification (EMOI) in an Italian speaking sample. Results provide good scale reliabilities, and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrate the good factorial validity of the short measure. We also tested the discriminant validity between organizational identification and affective commitment and we examined several antecedents of the four forms of identification. The second empirical study contributes to the understanding of the role of organizational identification for work-related stress by exploring the interactions between organizational identification and the other "problematic" dimensions of the expanded model in predicting employee strain. We hypothesized that ambivalent identification, neutral identification, and disidentification would moderate the negative relationship between organizational identification and exhaustion and ego depletion, such that the link between identification and strain would be stronger when the other dimensions are low. Results largely supported the hypotheses and show reliable interactions for disidentification and neutral identification and marginally significant moderation effects for ambivalent identification. Finally, we tested the interaction effects with a different outcome. Specifically, in the third study, we predicted a negative relationship between organizational identification and counterproductive work behaviors and a moderation of this link by ambivalent identification. We explored both overall counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) and also CWBs toward the organization (CWB-O), and CWBs toward other individuals (CWB-I). A survey-based study of 198 German employees revealed a moderating effect of ambivalent identification on the negative relationship between organizational identification and CWB, and CWB-O. Employees highly identified with their organization reported lower levels of CWB and CWB-O but - and as predicted - only when ambivalent identification was low. We then replicated the study examining CWB, and a scenario study of 228 American employees supported the previous findings: when organizational identification was high, participants in the low ambivalent condition reported lower levels of CWB-O than participants in the high ambivalent condition. The moderating effect of ambivalent and organizational identification was not significant on CWB-I in both studies. These findings provide new evidence for the positive influence of organizational identification under conditions of low ambivalence on counterproductive behaviors toward the organization. Limitations and practical implications of all studies are discussed.

The world’s population is changing rapidly. At the same time older workers are encouraged to continue being professionally active and younger workers face postponed and precarious entry to the world of work. Moreover, there is a growing problem of generational division (e.g., Shore, 2008) and skills shortage (Hertel, van der Heijden, de Lange, & Deller, 2013). Therefore, contemporary policy makers, companies and workers are facing a challenge of building a long-term productive and engaged age-diverse workforce. One way of adressing this issue is studying factors that contribute to age-neutral vs. age-biased evaluations in selection (paper 1) and job performance evaluations (paper 2) or studying the joint effects of age and working environment on work engagement (paper 3). Specifically, paper 1 investigated effects of rater overt-explicit age bias and covert-implicit age bias towards both older to younger workers on resume evaluations of applicants in different age. Paper 2, examined effects of rater conscientiousness on the performance evaluations of younger and older “typical” worker (Study 1) and an actual coworker (Study 2). Third paper, tested the effects of age on the relation between person-environment fit and work engagement.

The thesis consists of five empirical studies on the topic of workplace aggression, in which the phenomenon is investigated by using both the target's perspective and the actor's perspective.

Mother-infant bond is essential for the infant survival both physically and emotionally; in fact the attachment between mother and infant is a complex system of behaviours and feelings toward the one to the other that builds a relationship between both. This relationship motivates mothers and infants to undertake behaviours that ensure the infant’s survival, and it is on the base of all mammalian affiliations (Bowlby, 1969). Mothers and infants are equipped with instinctive attachment behaviours that ensure maternal care and the wellbeing, protection and survival of infants. This behavioural system underlies the affiliative system that develops in adulthood and subsequently parental behaviour (Panksepp, 1994). The development of the type of the attachment bond depends on how the mother was receptive to the needs of the child by providing the necessary care. Negayama et al. (2009), have shown that the picking up of the baby is essential for its development because its allows the caregiver to transport him/her, to protect him/her and to love him/her. In relation to this the purpose of this study is to investigate the physiological and behavioural responses of the child during the stimulation provided by the maternal carrying. In our previous study (Esposito et al. 2013) we found that during maternal carrying infants were calmer than during maternal holding (infant held by the mother while sitting). Each situation lasted 20s. Now we are interest in how both infants and mothers react during a longer stimulation of carrying and holding. Furthermore we are interest in mothers and infants quality of communication and connection between the parent and child. We want to deepen this by using the Emotional Availability Scale (EAs) (Biringhen, 1987) which is a research-based, scientifically driven way of understanding the quality of the interaction between the parent and the child. In this study also we aim to have behaviourally and physiologically measures of the EAs. Babies reduce the amount of voluntary movements, the episodes of crying and the heart rate during carrying. For what concern mother’s the heart rate during free interaction there isn’t any correlation between the heart rate of the baby and the mother’s heart rate. What we found is that mothers do not get influenced about their own attachment to their parents for what concern their relationship with their baby. Furthermore the Emotional Availability (EA) is negatively correlated to personality domains of the mother (psychoticism and neuroticism). Infants tend to adapt themselves and to cooperate with the mother during carrying. The calming response highlighted by the carrying has an adaptive value in mother-infant relationship and, as a consequence, in infant survival. Moreover, the present study provides implications for general parenting practices: how to interact optimally with the infant and the calming effect could be use in different situations.